Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

Reversing a criminal culture - Part two

Reversing a criminal culture - Part two

OK. Social Democracy is about curbing the all-pervasive culture of capitalism, from completely colonizing societies. Philanthropy is a great idea, but it is not the panacea for a more equitable society.
Crime is a great scourge in capitalist societies. This is the result of wealth inequality. And at the source of crime is poverty and social inequality. Wealth on the other hand, is power. However, when wealth becomes god and rules the roost, it tends to become a slave driver, and places a society in the bondage of immorality, anarchy, and even misery.

This reality is clear from purely capitalist societies. Crime is greater in vastly unequal societies. Purely capitalist societies without strong regulation and government intervention, become unequal swiftly: The Russian example after Communism and Totalitarianism. They become violent and ruthless.

The creed: the survival of the fittest is never a good place for the vast majority of the population of any country, and hence the attractiveness of socialism and social democracy.

That is why this writer is a strong advocate for democratic socialism. Bottom-up is always better than trickledown. Why: because trickledown is a fairytale.

Trickledown economies work well: to the benefit of the wealthy. The rich get richer because that is how capitalism works: profit is boss, and everyone must bow to the ubiquitous balance sheet. Gravity in the capitalist world favors the 1% who control global capital.

Now. No one is advocating socialism for these Virgin Islands. However greater equity and equality is always a better place for a country.

And greed at the top drives crime down below.

The Virgin Islands Party is supposedly the party of the grassroots. The bottom-up warriors engineering social change for the benefit of the regular guy: in other words, greater spending on the social and physical infrastructure for the benefit of the ‘’small man.’’ However, in recent times, can one honestly state that is the case? I leave that for Joe Public to decide.

Furthermore, it is sheer hypocrisy to be alarmed at the need for a Commission of Inquiry to investigate government. We all know that this investigation is appropriate and timely, even long overdue.

The fact is crime in the Virgin Islands is a systemic issue. It is more than the actual criminal activities: drug busts, gun crime, robbery, murder, sexual assault, public corruption, and fraud.

Crime is a problem of culture, morality, and social behavior, that sits in the social DNA. Crime is a systemic beast. It is about the behaviors of residents as a whole, not just criminals who are caught red-handed.

Then this is a highly religious society by church attendance, church building, and personal beliefs. But religion has done nothing to improve social morals and family values.

And even in the church, criminals are glorified as long as they are rich and powerful; that is the accepted reality. The youth look to drug barons and greedy officials as role models.

Understand that anarchy rules when respect for the Rule of Law disappears, and residents can no longer tell the difference between right and wrong, and good and bad.

That is what has happened in today’s Virgin Islands.

Twenty-five years ago we could leave our homes and cars unlocked without any concern whatsoever; people could leave valuables on a bench in Road Town and return to find their belongings untouched.

That could not happen today, even with the explosion in church buildings, and church attendance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×